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“A dog is not a thing. A thing is replaceable. A dog is not. A thing is disposable. A dog is not. A thing doesn’t have a heart. A dog’s heart is bigger than any “thing” you can ever own.”
― Elizabeth Parker, Paw Prints in the Sand

Regrettably, South African law considers animals as property, i.e. things, not sentient beings. While this is fundamentally and morally objectionable, it is a fact and something that is unlikely to change any time soon. Humans have a lot to answer for.